Folding chair



Sept. 18, 1945. I H. c. GRAY 2 ,3s5;072

FOLDING CHAIR Filed May 20, 1944 JNVENTOR.

f/arvcy O. Gray Patented Sept. 18, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING CHAIR Harvey C. Gray, Hamilton, Ohio Application May 20, 1944, Serial No. 536,503

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to a .folding chair, which embodies various desirable advantages and features not found in known structures of the same general character.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a chair which may be collapsed to a substantially fiat folded condition for storage, handling, or shipment, and. which may be easily carried from place to place due to its light weight and balanced condition when collapsed.

Another object is to provide a folding chair which is simple in design, easy to manipulate, and inexpensive to manufacture, due to a minimum number of working parts employed in the assembly thereof.

Another objectis to provide a chair of the character stated, which is comfortable and durable, and which is constructed to withstand effectively the abuse to which outdoor furniture is ordinarily subjected.

Another object is to provide a structural design of folding chair, which may be assembled from inexpensive parts with the expenditure of a minimum amount of time and labor.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure is a perspective View of the chair in the extended or use condition, with arrows applied indicating the movements of the principal parts when collapsing the structure to the fiat-or folded condition.

Referring to the drawing, the characters 2-2 indicate a pair of spaced parallel rear legs, which, in the extended or use condition of the chair, project forwardly at a rather slight inclination, as determined by the pivots 3 which mount the upstanding front legs 4 to the forward ends of the. rear legs. The seat portion of the chair is constituted of a pair of wedge elements 5 rigidly fixed upon the upper longitudinal edge portions -6 of the rear legs, said wedge elements being spanned by a series of slats or other rigid connecting pieces I capable of maintaining the spaced parallelism of the rear legs. The wedge elements 5 are in the form of slim or elongated triangular pieces, preferably of wood, thepointed forward ends 8 of which rest upon the rear legs at a location adjacent to the forward ends 9 of the legs 2. The butt ends H of the wedge elements preferably are disposed perpendicular to the rear legs, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

It may here be noted that the rear legs 2, the fixed wedge elements 5, and the spanning elements or slats "I, together constitute a rigid and integral rear leg assembly, which may be pro duced as a unit in the manufacture of the chair. The slats or seat elements 1 may be nailed, screwed or otherwise securely fastened to the hypotenuse edge of each wedge element.

The back rest of the chair, indicated generally by the character if, may be constituted of a suitable number of upright slats or strips I4 which, along their upper ends may be firmly fastened together by means of a cross bar l3. At their lower ends, the several slats or strips may be securely nailed, screwed or otherwise fixed to a transverse back rest slide bar l5, which normally rests and may slide upon the tracks furnished by the upper exposed edges 5 of the rear legs. The butt ends Ill of the wedge elements serve as stops to limit movement of the slide bar in a forward direction as the chair is extended or unfolded to the use position. The

free ends of the slide bar extend laterally beyond the outer side faces of the rear legs, so that the pair of stabilizing braces I6 may be pivoted thereto at a location ll. Due to the fact that the stabilizing braces extend at an angle transversely of the outer side faces of the rear legs, to the pivots l8 upon the front legs 4, the bar I5 in sliding lengthwise of the track as the chair is collapsed and extended, may not shift lengthwise and leave the track portions of the rear legs.

The stabilizing brace pivots it which extend from the outer side faces of the front legs, are located at a distance beneath the pivotal points 3 of the front legs, so that if the front legs are rotated about their pivots 3 in a clockwise direction, the stabilizing braces will be shifted rearwardly and carry with them the slide bar [5 and the lower end portion of the back rest. The back rest pivots about the screws or other fasteners l9, which secure the rear end portions 20 of the arm rests 2'! to the intermediate cross bar 22 of the back rest. The intermediate cross bar 22 may be fixed transversely of the slats or strips M in any suitable manner, such as by means of nails, screws, or other mechanical fasteners.

Near their forward ends, the arm rests are pivoted relative to the upper ends of the front legs. This pivotal connection may be established by means of the screwor the like 23 which passes through a metallic cap or bracket 24 and enters the inner edge of the armrest. By means of screws or other fasteners 25, the strap or bracket 24 may be fixedly mounted upon the upper ends of the front legs, by securing them to the inner faces of the leg pieces. In the extended or use position of the chair, the under surfaces of the arm rests will abut the flat upper ends of the front legs, whereby to impart a V desirable rigidity and substantiality to the arm rests. rests may be firmly established, a cross brace 26 may be applied in spanning relationship to the front legs, at points intermediate the pivots 3 and the lower ends of the front legs. For strength and durability, the brace 26 may be mortised to the front legs, or otherwise suitably fixed thereto in accordance with good carpentry. The width of the arm rests preferably will greatly exceed the thickness of the front legs, in order that the arm rests may enhance the comfort and utility of the chair.

To collapse the chair, which in the figure is shown in the operative or extended condition, it is necessary only to grasp the upper end of the back rest and move it forwardly about the pivots 19, in the direction indicated by the arrow 21. This movement results in shifting the slide bar l5 rearwardly of the legs 2 along the track portions 6 thereof, and such shifting movement of the slide bar is translated to the front legs through the stabilizing braces [6, so that the legs will rotate about their pivots 3 as indicated by the arrow 28. The arm rests 2| thereupon will shift forwardly, and the back rest will descend bodily to substantially flatwise contact with the seat of the chair. The resultant collapsed or folded condition of the chair makes it possible for the chair to be easily carried about, or stored away or shipped, with a minimum of space requirement.

To extend the chair from the folded or collapsed condition, it is necessary only to reverse the movements of the parts, preferably by grasping the upper end of the back rest and moving it toward the rear, so that the slide bar IE will advance into contact with the butt ends iii of the wedge elements, thereby resulting in properly disposing the front legs and the arm rests to operative position. The butt ends ID of the wedge elements serve as stops to limit forward movement of the slide bar l5, and when the slide bar contacts the wedge butts, the entire structure will be found ready for use.

The construction of the chair is exceedingly simple and is inducive to inexpensive manufacture. The chair is easy to manipulate, and is constituted of a minimum number of working parts, which furnishes the further advantage that the connections will not readily loosen and render the chair unstable. Comfort and durability constitute additional virtues of the construction.

The chair of the invention may be manufactured in various sizes, utilizing any desired number of slats or strips in forming the back rest and the seat portion. The back rest may be made longer or shorter than illustrated, depending upon the requirements of the market. Except for the screws, nails and brackets 24, the chair may be constructed wholly of wood, if desired. The device is capable of various modifications and changes in structural details, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing In order that the space between the arm" pivoted to the inclined rear legs adjacent to the front of the seat portion, a pair of arm rests, a pair of stabilizing braces, and a back rest having a lower end slidablealong the rear legs, said stabilizing braces each having a rear end pivoted to the lower end of the back rest, and disposed exteriorly of the rear leg structure so as to embrace the rear legs between said stabilizing braces for guiding purposes, means pivoting the opposite ends of said stabilizing braces to the front legs at points beneath the front leg pivots, means pivotally connecting the front end of each arm rest to the upper end of a front leg, and means pivotally connecting the rear end ofeach arm rest to the back rest at an elevation above the stabilizing braces, said stop means being fixed relative to the rear leg structure adjacent to the rear of the seat portion, for limiting sliding movement of the lower end of the back rest toward the seat portion.

2. A folding chair comprising in combination, a rigid rear leg structure including a pair of spaced parallel inclined legs having inclined edge portions providing a pair of longitudinal tracks, a seat portion mounted to overlie the forward ends of the tracks constituting an obstruction upon the track of each rear leg, the legs and the seat portion constituting a rigid assembly, a pair of upstanding front legs and means pivoting said front legs to the forward ends of the rear legs for rotational movement in spaced vertical planes,

a back rest having upper and lower ends and an intermediate portion, a cross bar fixed transversely to the back rest intermediate the ends of the latter, a fixed transverse slide bar at the lower end of the back rest and having opposite end portions to rest and slide upon the tracks of the rear legs, toward and from the obstruction provided by said seat portion, a pair of arm rests each having a forward and a rear end, means pivotally mounting the forward ends of the arm rests upon the front legs above the front leg pivots, and means pivotally mounting the rear ends of the arm rests to the back rest cross bar, and a pair of stabilizing links each having a forward and a rear end, pivoted respectively to the front legs beneath the front leg pivots, and to the opposite ends of the slide bar.

- 3. A folding chair comprising in combination, a rigid rear leg structure including a pair of spaced parallel inclined legs having inclined edge portions providing a pair of longitudinal tracks, a seat portion at the forward ends of the tracks and constituting an obstruction upon the track of each rear leg, the legs and the seat portion constituting a rigid assembly, a pair of upstanding front legs and means pivoting said front legs to the forward ends of the rear legs for rotational movement in spaced vertical planes, a back rest having upper and lower ends and an intermediate portion, a cross bar fixed transversely to the back rest intermediate the ends of the latter, a fixed transverse slide bar at the lower end of the back rest and having opposite end portions to rest and slide upon the tracks of the rear legs, a pair of arm rests each having a forward and a rear end, means pivotally mounting the for ward ends of the arm rests upon the front legs above the front leg pivots, and means pivotally mounting the rear ends of the arm rests to the back rest cross bar, and a pair of stabilizing links each having a forward and a rear end, pivoted respectively to the front legs beneath the front leg pivots, and to the opposite ends of the slide bar, the obstructions provided by the seat portion being located on the tracks to limit the inclination of the back rest upon extending the chair to the operative use position.

4. A folding chair comprising in combination, a rigid rear leg structure including a pair of spaced parallel inclined legs having inclined upper edge portions providing a pair of longitudinal exposed tracks, and a pair of elongated wedge elements each fixed upon a track with the smaller end of the wedge element located near the forward end of the rear leg, and with the butt of the wedge located in upstanding relationship to the track at an intermediate point upon the lat- -ter, said butt constituting a stop, means spanning the wedge elements to provide a seat portion for the chair, said legs, wedge elements, and spanning means constituting a rigid integral assembly, a pair of upstanding front legs and means pivoting said front legs to the forward ends of the rear legs for rotational movement in spaced vertical planes, a back rest having upper and lower ends and an intermediate portion, a cross bar fixed transversely to the back rest intermediate the ends of the latter, a fixed transverse slide bar at the lower end of the back rest and having opposite end portions to rest and slide upon the tracks of the rear legs, a pair of arm rests each having a forward and a rear end, means pivotally mounting the forward ends of the arm rests upon the front legs above the front leg pivots, and means pivotally mounting the rear ends of the arm rests to the back rest cross bar, and a pair of stabilizing links each having a forward and a rear end, pivoted respectively to the front legs beneath the front leg pivots, and to the opposite ends of the slide bar.

5. A folding chair comprising in combination, a rigid rear leg structure including inclined legs, stop means and a fixed seat portion as an integral assembly, a pair of upstanding front legs pivoted intermediate their ends to the inclined rear legs adjacent to the front of the seat portion, a pair of arm rests and a pair of stabilizing braces, and a back rest having a lower end slidable along the rear legs, said stabilizing braces each having a rear end pivoted to the lower end of the back rest, means pivoting the opposite ends of said stabilizing braces to the front legs at points beneath the front leg pivots, means pivotally connecting the front end of each arm rest to the upper end of a front leg, means pivotally connecting the rear end of each arm rest to the back rest at an elevation above the stabilizing braces, said stop means limiting sliding movement of the lower end of the back rest toward the seat portion.

6. A folding chair comprising in combination, a rigid rear leg structure including inclined legs, stop means and a fixed seat portion as an integral assembly, a pair of upstanding front legs pivoted intermediate their ends to the inclined rear legs adjacent to the front of the seat portion, a pair of arm rests and a pair of stabilizing braces, and a back rest having a lower end slidable along the rear legs, said stabilizing braces each having a rear end pivoted to the lower end of the back rest, means pivoting the opposite ends of said stabilizing braces to the front legs at points beneath the front leg pivots, means pivotally connecting the front end of each arm rest to the upper end of a front leg, the front leg pivots being substantially equidistant from and between the pivots for the arm rests and the stabilizing braces, upon the front legs, means pivotally connecting the rear end of each arm rest to the back rest at an elevation above the stabilizing braces, said stop means being fixed relative to the rear leg structure adjacent to the rear of the seat portion, for limiting sliding movement of the lower end of the back rest toward the seat portion.

7. A folding chair comprising in combination, a rigid rear leg structure including inclined legs, stop means and a fixed seat portion as an integral assembly, a pair of upstanding front legs pivoted to the inclined rear legs adjacent to the front of the seat portion, a back rest, a pair of arm rests, a pair of stabilizing braces, and a back rest slide bar fixed to the back rest for sliding movement along the rear legs, said stabilizing braces each having a rear end pivoted to the slide bar of the back rest, means pivoting the opposite ends of said stabilizing braces to the front legs at points beneath the front leg pivots, means pivotally connecting the front endof each arm rest to the upper end of a front leg, and means pivotally connecting the rear end of each arm rest to the back rest at an elevation above the stabilizing braces, said stop means being fixed relative to the rear leg structure adjacent to the rear of the seat portion, for limiting sliding movement of the lower end of the back rest toward the seat portion.

HARVEY C. GRAY. 

